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Julian Holmes is an experienced management consultant and business development…
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Workforce analytics: back to reality
Workforce analytics: back to reality
This post was originally published on the OrgVue blog on 20th November 2017. Just 7% of organisations consider…
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Tucana People Analytics Conference 2015
Tucana People Analytics Conference 2015
On Thursday 23rd April at 11.55 am, I am running a workshop in the demo lab at Tucana People Analytics Conference 2015…
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Julian Holmes shared thisI am in danger of breaking LinkedIn's servers today by posting another shout out to the SWP community. For anyone in London next Thursday 25th, we will be holding drinks with Nick Arnold of Frazer Jones and Nancy Allen of LACE We have had representatives from some of the big global brands in pevious events and it will be a great chance to network and share insights with some of your peers. Please see the link below for registration. https://lnkd.in/eUgbN-rVJulian Holmes shared thisLACE Partners and Frazer Jones are delighted to be joining forces for our upcoming 𝐒𝐖𝐏 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 – an informal space where SWP leaders can connect, exchange insights and spark new ideas. Strategic workforce planning is hot on the agenda at the moment, with it increasing being a topic of comversation wtih my clients and more events being set-up in the market to share insights. If you're a senior SWP leader and are interested in attending, please register your interest below. Spaces are limited but we'll do our best to accomodate you and will be in touch to confirm your place. Hosted by Julian Holmes, Head of Workforce Transformation and Nancy Allen, Senior Manager from LACE Partners; experts in delivering people and workforce analytics transformation and advisory projects for their clients. Expect an afternoon of engaging peer discussions on the latest trends and challenges in strategic workforce planning. It’s a great opportunity to build your network, share practical experiences, and collaborate with fellow professionals passionate about shaping the future of work. 📍 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐧, 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 📅 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 🕒 𝟏𝟓:𝟎𝟎 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟕:𝟎𝟎 #frazerjones #hiring #swp #strategicworkforceplanning #peopleinsights #event
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Julian Holmes shared thisTo all SWP folk, please can I invite you to an SWP Webinar with Adam Binnie from Visier and I on 15th July. SWP is a discipline which is evolving very quickly so we wanted to give you perspectives from the solution (Visier) and practioner world (LACE) on how organisations can drive value and traction from SWP, especially in today's dynamic environment. Do share any thoughts or questions you may have either here or directly with me in advance of the webinar.Julian Holmes shared thisStrategic workforce planning should do more than produce a slide deck – it should shape real business outcomes. Our upcoming session “From plans to impact: making SWP count” explores how to turn insight into action, connect SWP to business strategy and build leadership commitment. How are you currently measuring the impact of your workforce planning? That's just one question that Julian Holmes will be discussing with Adam Binnie from Visier Inc. Register for the webinar on 15th July using the link below. https://hubs.la/Q04kwx8Y0From plans to impact: Making SWP count - LACE PartnersFrom plans to impact: Making SWP count - LACE Partners
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Julian Holmes shared thisHi, this is an important piece of research from LACE Partners on how CPOs and People functions support the business transformation agenda. This report shows that there is an open door from the wider business. However there remains significant gaps between the aspiration and reality. For us, the most important finding is the imperative to improve partnering with the other CxO colleagues in business transformation. We believe that navigating the complex landscape such as the AI revolution means that the people function needs to work in partnership with agile, cross-functional teams.Julian Holmes shared thisExciting Tuesday news - our latest whitepaper is out now! Based on research with 450 C-suite leaders and in-depth roundtables, this report explores how HR is moving from a reactive function to a strategic influencer at the heart of business change. Discover practical steps for HR leaders to drive transformation, build agility, and create real business value. Key insights include: 🔹Why HR can lead, not just support, transformation 🔹The new skills and capabilities needed for HR teams 🔹How to anchor people strategy in business outcomes 🔹Seven practical steps for proactive people transformation Ready to futureproof your HR function? Download the whitepaper and join the conversation. HUGE thanks not only to our authors, but to all who gave their time and lived experiences to shape our research. Download it here: https://hubs.la/Q03JvJyM0
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Julian Holmes shared thisThank you for everyone who made it last night. I thought it was a really high quality conversation and everyone was generous with their insights and questions. We believe that there is still signficant opportunity to improve how organisations manage people through significant business transformation. We will be holding similar events over the course of this year.Julian Holmes shared thisGreat evening on behalf of HR Analytics Summit this evening, talking about the role analytics teams play in the people part of workforce transformation. Great hosting by Douglas Leach Julian Holmes and Aaron Alburey - great discussion too. We’ll do a bit of a précis over the next week over on the LACE Partners feed at some stage - but a really good debate 👍
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Julian Holmes shared thisVery excited to work with our clients and my colleagues Aaron Alburey, Duncan Spencer and the rest of the LACE team to help our clients deliver great people outcomes in complex business transformation programmes. We are working with CPOs, Business Business Transformation leads and HR leaders to build sustained transformation expertise for scalable, repeatable success.Julian Holmes shared thisEconomic uncertainty, shifting workforce dynamics, and rapid digital disruption are reshaping how organisations operate. In times like these, change is not just inevitable—it’s essential. HR - or the People function - has a significant role to play. Today, we're excited to launch our new campaign - Driving business transformation - which will explore the importance of HR as the conductors of change, leading the people element of business-wide transformation. What’s in it for you? ✅ Actionable insights on how HR can lead business-wide transformation ✅ Expert content—blogs, podcasts, and a comprehensive whitepaper ✅ Proven strategies to harness data, people-centric practices, and drive sustainable growth Over the coming weeks, we'll be unveiling exciting events, feature content and much more. Be the first to know about all the latest updates—register your interest here: https://hubs.la/Q036nysn0
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Julian Holmes shared thisHappy New Year. I would like to share some helpful thoughts from my colleagues at LACE on the HR and Payroll trends for 2025.Julian Holmes shared thisHappy New Year! 🌟 As we kick off 2025, we've gathered insights from our experts on the most relevant trends that will likely dominate the HR and Payroll professionals' agenda. 👉 Read now to hear pearls of wisdom from Julian Holmes, Martin Colyer, Pavan Bilkhoo and Chris Kirby : https://hubs.la/Q031Ft380 #HR #Payroll #2025trends #futureofwork #LACEPartners
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Julian Holmes shared thisCongratulations to everyone at LACE celebrating our ten year anniversary and especially to the founders Cathy Acratopulo and Aaron Alburey.Julian Holmes shared thisIn our latest video, we hear directly from businesses who’ve collaborated with LACE Partners over our ten-year journey, sharing insights and reflections as we mark this milestone. Special thanks to Patricia Davis, Payroll and Benefits Business Partner at Capital Group, Tara Featherstone FCIPD, Head of People Services at Bidfood UK, and Joe Binnion, Chief People and Culture Officer at Keywords Studios, for contributing and sharing their experiences. More about our journey here: https://lnkd.in/dzUaaCUm #10years #LACEanniversary #care #innovation #passion
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Julian Holmes reposted thisJulian Holmes reposted thisHow do you decide which #skills approaches are right for your business? There are plenty of skills-based approaches to choose from, but we believe you need to build your skills strategy to directly support your core business driver - whether that's agility, customer intimacy, productivity, or growth. In today's blog, LACErs Pavan Bilkhoo, Gemma Ryall and Phoebe Hobbs unpack key skills solutions in depth and show our framework for understanding which ones will push the needle for your business. We'll guide you in identifying 'what' your core business driver is and 'which' skills solutions you need to support it. Read now to also learn which challenges can be overcome using these strategies and how to measure success when implementing them. https://lnkd.in/dF7W3BQQ
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Julian Holmes shared thisSome of the lovely team at LACE are running a webinar on HR Shared Services trends. Do drop in.Julian Holmes shared thisWhat is keeping HR shared services professionals up at night? We'll discuss this and much more in our free webinar on the latest HR Shared Services trends on May 8th at 12:30 pm (BST)! Our experts, Emma Leonis-Hughes and Dawn Izzard, will be sharing insights and answering your questions! Register now: https://lnkd.in/ddprU8Ei #HR #HRSharedServices #Trends #Webinar #HRTransformation #PeopleStrategy #LACEPartners
Julian Holmes commented on a post
5mo
Great article-David there are quite a few recent senior appointments in the market that combine OD and SWP, and often with People analytics, skills, and increasingly understanding work and tasks and the impact of AI.
I was lucky enough to be working across OD and SWP for many years. For me, they were always just different lenses on the same domain area-but with very different histories of practice.
One simplistic (but useful) explanation is "OD is the picture book, SWP is the Movie".
I agree with Martyn, it is only by taking multi-disciplinary approaches that practioners can help organisations answer the question-what kind of people and organsiation do we want it to be and how should this evolve in the future.
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Julian Holmes liked thisJulian Holmes liked thisWe won! Kindred picked up the award for Best New Consultancy at the Management Consultancies Association awards last night. 6+ years in, it doesn’t feel quite that “new” to us. But when you’re in a room with the biggest and most established firms in the world you can see how we’re only just getting started. Massive credit to team present and past, many of whom spoke on our behalf in the application. And a HUGE thanks to all the wonderful clients who have been brave enough to put trust in a firm that’s still building its rep in a crowded market. Can’t wait to see where we can go next!
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Julian Holmes liked thisJulian Holmes liked thisAn exciting announcement. 🎓 Last year, I left a great career in consulting and decided to build something of my own; this was where Change with Jess was born; offering change management and 1:1 coaching to clients to enable transformation both in and out of the workplace. I am excited to announce that in the summer I completed my Level 1 ICF coaching diploma with Become Coaching. Looking back at this journey it was one of profound growth, it pushed me outside my comfort zone and enabled me to gain the confidence and the ability to put myself out there (on linkedin too which has probably the most daunting of them all!). Coaching has been a massive part of how I've navigated my own big decisions; having the courage to set up my own company, learning to sit with uncertainty and figuring out what I want from my life. Having someone to think out loud with made all the difference, and I was interested in being that person for others. So I'm opening up a few spaces for new coaching clients as we are head into Autumn. If you're going through change; a career shift, a big decision, or just feeling a bit stuck and wanting to think things through with someone in your corner, I'd love to have a conversation. I've got a few discovery call slots open over the coming weeks: If this resonates, or someone you know, feel free to share or send me a message. 💬
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Julian Holmes liked thisJulian Holmes liked thisFrom my chats, listenings and learnings this week. Three "ahas" .... Aha 1️⃣ AI creates automatic intimacy .... and most people haven't explicitly clocked it yet. - AI remembers your context, preferences and our last conversations. - You feel known, even when nobody designed that feeling on purpose. 💡 IMPACT: For HR and people leaders this isn't a fluffy observation. It changes how people trust systems. How they lean on them. How they blur the line between tool and relationship. The intimacy is real even when the relationship isn't. This needs more consideration in how we evaluate readiness and launch new AI capability. Aha 2️⃣ Not all agents are the same. I heard the terms "YOLO" vs "Deterministic" recently and loved it! - YOLO agents: fast, iterative, fail-cheap. Fine for low-stakes, high-volume work. - Deterministic agents: rule-bound, auditable, controlled. Non-negotiable where the output touches pay, compliance or people decisions. 💡 IMPACT: Most deployments don't make this call explicitly / consciously. That's how a YOLO agent ends up somewhere it absolutely shouldn't be so there is one question before anything goes live - what is the actual cost of being wrong here? Aha 3️⃣ Agents are workers. Op models need to catch up so stop treating agents as tools sitting off to the side and ask the same questions you'd ask about any worker: - Who owns them? - What are they accountable for? - How do you review their output? - When does a human step in? 💡IMPACT: Consider naming them. Give them a role. Performance manage them. Not as a gimmick but because it forces the governance conversation into the open .... where it needs to be. Big week and still doing my 'pause and reflect' processing. Any other "ahas" out there!?
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Julian Holmes liked thisJulian Holmes liked this⁉️ Who am I, and what do I actually do? I have a number of new followers, and I’m about to have more availability for new projects, so thought a (re)introduction post was in order…. 🖋️ I’m a journalist, writer and content expert who specialises in HR/people and culture, management and leadership, and the world of work. My background is as an HR journalist (I was an editor/the editor of HR magazine for 5+ years) so I tend to come at things from an employer perspective. 🤓 As well as contributing to many publications as a journalist, I write long-form thought leadership and research for brands who want to reach an HR leadership audience. This year so far I’ve worked with Mercer, Investors in People, Perkbox and Business Culture Awards and Connected and others on impactful research reports that help build voice, credibility and reach among HR professionals. I also offer consulting on content and comms strategy for organisations. 📢 A lot of this work involves quietly writing, but I love to get out from behind my desk (/sofa….sorry my back) and host live events - webinars, conferences, panels, roundtables for HR and business leaders. In my 5 years working at the CIPD, I interviewed people including Davina McCall, Sue Perkins and Katherine Ryan in front of large audiences. ☕ I have been self-employed since the end of 2023 and love the variety, the hustle and the flexibility. I sometimes get a bit lonely though so am always up for cuppas and chats. 🧑🧑🧒🧒 I have two small children (5 and 2) and our algorithmic overlord rewards me for posting about the realities of juggling parenting and kids. Don't hate the player, hate the game 🤷♀️ This felt slightly cringe to write, but I’m coming out of a busy few months and now have availability for new projects and clients, so if this sounds interesting - hi - let’s talk. And if you know me already, please show this post some engagement! Find out more about me here https://lnkd.in/ekyJ8QQc
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Julian Holmes liked thisJulian Holmes liked thisA bit of lovely news that's hot off the press: Kindred has been named a finalist for the 2026 Management Consultancies Association Award for Best New Consultancy! I’m ridiculously delighted by that - not least because I never imagined my career would involve running my own business, let alone co-founding and building a consultancy with such a clear niche. I also know how lucky I’ve been. Working with Rebecca Ferguson all those years ago is where I caught the Org Design bug - and, as it turns out, it led to us building something that still feels pretty special. What we believed from the start was quite clear: stay deliberately specialist, stay close to the work, keep it senior, and build something clients value because it is genuinely useful and leaves them stronger. Since 2020, that approach has taken us into some very high-stakes organisational questions with major brands - usually in the messy space where strategy meets delivery. And I’m especially proud (and still slightly surprised) when we win work against the big firms. Not because there is anything wrong with large consultancies. There isn’t. But it does show that there is real demand for a different kind of consultancy: one that brings rigour and senior judgement without the extra layers that can come with larger delivery models. Thank you to the MCA and the judging panel for the recognition - I’m very proud of what it says about the business our Kindred team - past and present - have built. Winners are announced in October...so we’ll take all the luck we can get. #MCAAwards #ConsultingExcellence #ManagementConsulting #OrgDesign
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Senior Leader
London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
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I managed a team of 14 volunteers at the Paralympics Show Jumping event.
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